Sound Bites: Spice Girls, Bob Dylan, Ricky Martin

March 9

Spokesman Denies Spice Split

A representative for the Spice Girls denied that Melanie Chisholm, a k a Sporty Spice, is abandoning the Brit pop act, though she told Reuters yesterday, "I don't intend to do any more work with the Spice Girls." He did concede, however, that the band was effectively on ice while all four members pursue solo careers. Just a few years ago, the band was a worldwide phenomenon that sold millions of records; these days, however, erstwhile fans are not exactly clamoring for a new album. The group's most recent LP, Forever, has sold only 185,000 copies in the United States.

Dylan to Hit Oscars via Satellite

Maybe one dose of Hollywood was enough for Bob Dylan. The classic folk-rock singer, who stood in contrast to the glitzy showbiz audience when he picked up a Golden Globe Award, will also perform at the March 25 Academy Awards — over a satellite link from Australia, according to New York Post columnist Liz Smith. The singer will perform his Oscar-nominated "Things Have Changed" from the otherwise shut-out Wonder Boys. Radiohead's Thom Yorke, however, was scrapped from the lineup. Icelandic singer Björk will only be given three minutes to perform her six-minute "I've Seen It All," so Yorke's part of the duet will be cut out.

More Martin Movie Madness

Latin pop singer Ricky Martin told Swedish tabloid Expressen that he is considering a voice role in a cartoon film with Madonna and actor Mel Gibson. The movie is an unnamed production from Steven Spielberg's DreamWorks studio. Martin also recently appeared on a list of possible cast members for a George Romero directed film, The Assassination, and last year was considered for a possible remake of '80s hit Dirty Dancing.